UK Vs. US Book Covers

Hey guys! So the release date of V. E. Schwab’s Vengeful is almost upon us being only one week away and I could not be more excited to read this book. For those of you who don’t know, Vengeful is the sequel to Schwab’s thrilling Sci-Fi book Vicious which is one of my favourite books of all time! If you want to check out my review for Vicious, please do so here!

These books have some beautiful covers, so in honour of the release of Vengeful I thought it would be fun to talk about UK Vs. US covers. It is well known in the bookish community that the cover of a book says a lot. While we all try our very best to ‘not judge a book by its cover’, we all do it. And you can’t deny that a beautiful cover not only makes you want to buy a book more, but often that we buy a book solely for the cover itself.

UK covers are usually a lot more simple than their US counterpart, but that doesn’t always mean that they’re worse. What I do know is that there is pretty much always one cover that is better than the other. I’m only going to look at books that I’ve read or are currently reading so that I can accurately judge the book cover while knowing what the book is like. So, let’s get into it!

Vicious by V. E. Schwab

US Covers

UK Covers

So I’m beginning with a tricky one here. These are both the paperback covers and the hardback covers and I just had to include both because all four covers are so beautiful and perfect for this book. I think there are two reasons that sway me towards my decision: firstly, while I love the look of the US paperback, it was a little misleading for me before I’d read the book. Due to the cover, I was under the impression that the story was set in some kind of steam punk Victorian era. Clearly I was wrong, and maybe wrong to assume that, but it was the vibe I got from that cover. Secondly, I love the UK hardback that takes on the theme of blackout poetry into the cover itself. The addition of knives and bones just elevates it even more.

Winner: UK

Vengeful by V. E. Schwab

US Cover UK Cover

Again, both these covers are stunning! I love how the US cover captures the darkness of the book and the red stands out beautifully! But I’m a sucker for a knife and I love the fading on the black lines!

Winner: UK

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

US Cover UK Cover

Both of these covers are poignant in their own way. They’re both perfectly simple and both convey how important this book is. For me though, I always prefer an illustration over a photograph, though if I were to like a book with a photograph on it, this would be one of the better ones. Actually, one of the best.

Winner: US

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

US Cover UK Cover

When looking at the covers on my computer screen, I feel like the choice here is easy. But I own both these covers and in real life they are both stunning in their own way. I honestly can’t choose between these two, especially considering they each have something a little extra underneath the dust jacket that makes them both so beautiful and so unique.

Winner: US

Renegades by Merissa Meyer

US Cover UK Cover

Originally, I didn’t like the UK cover at all. But that is the cover that I own and since reading it, it has really grown on me. I like the simplicity of it and I love the fact that it reminds me of the comic book style of art. With that being said I do prefer the US cover – it’s a bit more moody and I feel like the representation of the characters on the cover is a lot more accurate to the book, whereas on the UK cover they just seem to be generic superhero figures. I also prefer the colouring with the deep navy and bits of red and I think there’s simply more depth to the cover.

Winner: US

Save The Date by Morgan Matson

US Cover UK Cover

I must say that, while both of these are photographic covers – not my favourite format – I do like both of these. I like that we can’t see the face of the girl on the UK cover and therefore we can still let our imagination do the work and have a bit more of an independent view of what she looks like. But at the same time I feel like the US cover captures the essence of the novel a lot better. And also there’s a dog.

Winner: US

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

US Cover UK Cover

This one is difficult because I can’t explain why I prefer the US cover. They’re both so similar and give off the same vibe, but I just do not like the UK cover.

Winner: US

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

US Cover UK Cover

This, again, is a difficult decision. Just look at the covers for a moment. Look how beautiful and intricate each of the designs are. While I am naturally more drawn to the UK cover, I don’t think either would be a bad choice and I think that the illustrator(s) for these covers have done a fantastic job.

Winner: UK

They Both Die At The End by Adam Silver

US Cover UK Cover

This is definitely an easy choice for me. Both covers are clever – with the use of the shadow in the US cover to show the grim reaper, and the use of the egg timer on the UK cover – but I just do not like the colours of the UK cover. Plus, the artwork on the US cover is beautiful and, for me at least, really captures the essence of the book.

Winner: US

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

US Covers

UK Covers

As you can see there a lot of editions here. It shouldn’t really be surprising that there are so many editions, and this doesn’t even scrape the surface. I’m a sucker for Harry Potter and I don’t there’s any edition I don’t like. The original UK covers are my favourite. I know they’re not necessarily the nicest or most beautiful, but they are the covers that hold a special place in my heart. I think, for me, the most beautiful covers are the signature collection (the second US cover shown). I love their simplicity and the colours and art style used. But after that I’m not really drawn to any of the US covers. Even the UK adult editions draw me in more. Perhaps I’m biased to my country. Perhaps I’m just trying to have the original UK covers win. But overall I do like the UK covers more.

Winner: UK

Results: US: 6 UK: 4

Overall Winner: US

Do you guys agree with my choices? Generally, do you prefer the UK covers or US?
Do you you usually try and buy the cover you prefer, or just the edition that is more easily accessible to you?

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I really enjoyed this post! I think I lean more towards US covers, though there have been a few stunning UK covers I’ve fallen in love with as well. It really just depends, and I also feel like reading the book can make a difference sometimes, as the cover might make more sense afterwards.